User blog:MontagnaMagica/Coaster Wars: Six Flags Magic Mountain vs. Cedar Point
Which park do you think is better? Cedar Point Six Flags Magic Mountain Editor's Note Keep in mind that this comparison was made several years ago, and a lot has changed for both parks. Cedar Point's GateKeeper is a major success, while Magic Mountain has added Full Throttle and Twisted Colossus. Whole areas of both parks have been renovated and rethemed since October, 2011. Keep in mind that this was written with a major points bias towards the roller coasters, with only a fraction of the score coming from other factors. Depending on how important various other factors may be to you, the outcome will be different in your head. The points system used is, admittedly, arbitrary, and it is meant to invoke excitement in competition. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy reading! May the best park win! Coaster Wars I have always enjoyed reading the countless debates over which theme park is the true roller coaster capital of the world. Is it Six Flags Magic Mountain, or Cedar Point? Now, I have decided to do a comparison of my own! It is very in-depth and detailed, but that's the way I like it. Just jump down to the section "roller coasters" if the rest bores you. Here is how it will work: The park with the most total points at the end of the competition will win. Each category is worth a predetermined number of points based on how important I believe each category is. Without further ado, let's get started! Location (3 Points) Six Flags Magic Mountain This park is located in a suburb of Los Angeles called Valencia, California. The weather is usually great, except for the summers where it can get up to 90° F (32° C). The park is built on a tall hill which is known as "the mountain" and is surrounded by many other "mountains". Cedar Point This park is located in Sandusky, Ohio on a small peninsula reaching out into Lake Erie. Weather here is also very fair, but it gets too cold (often snowy) in the winters for the park to operate. Winner The views from Cedar Point's roller coasters are fantastic, which adds a lot to each of them. Cedar Point grabs the early lead! :Cedar Point: 3 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 0 Theming (3 Points) Six Flags Magic Mountain Magic Mountain's theming is very diverse from section to section. There are several themed areas, including Rapids Camp Crossing, DC Universe, Samurai Summit, and Colossus County Fair. None of these areas are heavily themed except for DC Universe, but they add a nice touch to the park Cedar Point Cedar Point's theming is very basic. There is some western theming by Maverick, and some scattered theming throughout the park, but it is obvious that it is all about the roller coasters. Winner The winner here is easily Magic Mountain. Although, it isn't spectacular, it is at least better than Cedar Point. Magic Mountain ties it up! :Cedar Point: 3 :Six Flags Magic Mountain:3 Scenery (3 Points) Six Flags Magic Mountain One thing that Magic Mountain has in abundance, other than roller coasters of course, is natural landscaping. Most of the paths are surrounded by trees, which provide great shade and natural beauty to the park. Not only are they good-looking, but they also add great excitement to the roller coasters. Revolution, and Ninja take advantage of this, and weave all around the trees. Cedar Point Cedar Fair parks have a tendency to chop down trees in abundance to make room for large paths, and attractions. The view of Lake Erie is an automatic plus, but other than that... Winner It pays to save the trees! Magic Mountain pulls ahead. :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 6 :Cedar Point: 3 Employees (3 Points) I have heard both good and bad things about both parks' employees. Just one bad employee can change somebody's opinion of the entire park. That is why I'm considering this category a draw. Winner It's a tie! 3 points for both parks... :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 9 :Cedar Point: 6 Children's Areas and Attractions (2 Points) Six Flags Magic Mountain Magic Mountain's children's area is a nice little section of the park called, "Bugs Bunny World". It has a total of nine attractions and a nice foresty theme. Cedar Point With nineteen attractions built just for children, it's clear that people of all ages are thought of at Cedar Point. Winner Cedar Point easily wins in this category! There are more kids' rides than roller coasters! Think about that! Cedar Point edges closer to the lead. :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 9 :Cedar Point: 8 Flat Rides (2 Points) Six Flags Magic Mountain Throughout the park, there are a small number of flat rides such as a swinging ship, or a carousel. The park is, however, currently building the tallest drop tower in the world. Cedar Point Rides like maXair, Power Tower, Calypso, and WindSeeker all would be star attractions at a county fair or small amusement park. Winner Cedar Point trumps Magic Mountain in this category as well! Cedar Point makes a huge comeback, and steals the lead! :Cedar Point: 10 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 9 Roller Coasters (17 Points) It all comes down to this! This is the category that will either make, or break the competition for either park. The roller coasters are, as they should be, the biggest draw to these two theme parks. Each coaster will be worth one point. The winner of this is the winner of all! Let the comparisons begin! Hyper Coasters Goliath vs. Magnum XL-200 Let's start off with some of the big ones. Goliath is known for its dramatic conclusion, featuring a long 3G spiral. Magnum XL-200 was the first full-circuit coaster to top 200 feet (61 meters) in height. Although Goliath is modern, smooth, and has intense forces, most enthusiasts would agree that negative g-forces are greater than positive forces. The edge in this match-up goes to Cedar Point. :Cedar Point: 11 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 9 Inverted Coasters Batman The Ride vs. Raptor This match-up always seems to go in Raptor's favor. Well, this time it is no different! Raptor consistently receives better reviews than Batman The Ride. Cedar Point extends the lead. :Cedar Point: 12 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 9 Stand-Ups Riddler's Revenge vs. Mantis This match-up is not even close. Riddler's Revenge is taller, faster, longer, and has more inversions than Mantis. The ride interacts with the queue line in countless places making it very photogenic. Magic Mountain keeps pace. :Cedar Point: 12 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 10 The Big Ones Superman: Escape From Krypton vs. Top Thrill Dragster Top Thrill Dragster, formerly the tallest fastest roller coaster in the world has since fallen to second in height, and fourth in speed. However, it still retains the wonderful dragster theming. Superman: Escape From Krypton was recently revamped, making this match-up a pretty even one, in my opinion. Where else can you launch 104 mph (167 km/h) backwards? Although both rides are spectacular, Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster wins this one. :Cedar Point: 13 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 10 Big Woodies Colossus vs. Mean Streak The former tallest roller coaster in the world faces off against one of the largest wooden coasters in existence. Although Mean Streak has a long, intimidating design, Colossus is better maintained (slightly). As an additional plus, Colossus is run backwards during Fright Fest. Colossus wins this one for Magic Mountain. :Cedar Point: 13 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 11 Little Woodies Apocalypse vs. Blue Streak While Blue Streak is a great little wooden coaster, Apocalypse just plain out-does Blue Streak here. Apocalypse is full of surprise pops of airtime, blasts through tunnels (including a station fly-through), and constant speed. There is also a neat blast of heat from a fire effect. :Cedar Point: 13 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 12 Mine Trains Gold Rusher vs. Cedar Creek Mine Ride This match-up can basically be boiled down to a foresty adventure versus a scenic tour over a small creek. They're both very nice attractions that are far under-rated, but Gold Rusher is usually considered the better of the two. Magic Mountain ties it up! :Cedar Point: 13 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 13 Classic Loopers Revolution vs. Corkscrew These two roller coasters are both known for being pioneers of the coaster industry. Revolution was the first successful coaster to have a vertical loop. Corkscrew was the first coaster to have three inversions. The similarity doesn't stop there. Both rides have become considerably rough with age. In the end, Revolution is the winner for its exciting journey through a foresty mountainside, and its great appearance. Magic Mountain pulls ahead. :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 14 :Cedar Point: 13 Family Coasters Road Runner Express vs. WildCat Road Runner Express is a wonderfully-themed family coaster at Magic Mountain. When it is compared to WildCat, there really isn't much competition. WildCat is the winnerhere; tying up the competition once again. :Cedar Point: 14 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 14 Star Attractions X² vs. Millennium Force Both of these attractions are spectacular, and among the best in the world! It's extremely difficult to pick just one of these, but I will attempt to do so! X² is an extreme, insane, and unpredictable experience. Millennium Force, on the other hand, is an airtime-filled machine offering terrifying heights, and great view of Lake Erie. Overall, although it is very close, I have to say Millennium Force is the winner here. There is a reason for its sustained high ratings. Cedar Point regains the lead! :Cedar Point: 15 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 14 Kiddie Coasters Magic Flyer vs. Jr. Gemini Although these are just kiddie coasters, they do need to be compared! Magic Flyer, formerly "Clown Coaster", "Wile E. Coyote Coaster", "Goliath Jr.", and "Percy's Railway", is a nice little design with a good train theme. Jr. Gemini, although it does not look at all like Gemini, seems to be a more creative design that I would probably enjoy more, if I were a child. Jr. Gemini wins this one. :Cedar Point: 16 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 14 Kiddie Coasters 2 Canyon Blaster vs. Woodstock Express Woodstock Express isn't technically a "kiddie" coaster, it's a "family coaster", but this seems to be the only fair match-up left for it. Easily, Woodstock Express is the better of the two. :Cedar Point: 17 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 14 Top-Rated Attractions Tatsu vs. Maverick These roller coasters are both arguably the best in their park, although they are overshadowed by the "star attractions", X² and Millennium Force. Maverick is an insane launched roller coaster featuring two corkscrews and several twists and turns that throw riders around. Tatsu is an entirely different kind of attraction. It hangs riders face-down while navigating crazy flying manœuvers. The ride leads up to a very climactic Pretzel Loop which is one of the most intense roller coaster elements on the planet. It's just one of those rides that you need to ride for yourself to truly understand why it is great. Tatsu is the winner, tightening up the competition once again. :Cedar Point: 17 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 15 Suspended Coasters Ninja vs. Iron Dragon Ninja and Iron Dragon are similar in several different ways. The major differences are these: Ninja interacts mainly with the terrain of the mountain and its trees, while Iron Dragon interacts with the water and its fountains. Both rides are great in their own way, but Ninja's tree-dodging antics add some extra excitement that Iron Dragon just doesn't have. Ninja slays the Iron Dragon. :Cedar Point: 17 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 16 2-D Intamins Green Lantern: First Flight vs. Wicked Twister Magic Mountain's newest coaster, Green Lantern was the first of its kind in America. On the outside, the ride looks tame to some, but once on the ride, passengers are tossed around mercilessly! The ride has some of the best airtime in the entire park. Not to be outdone, Wicked Twister offers riders multiple launches and 215 foot (66 meter) vertical hills. Both roller coasters are very fun attractions, but Green Lantern's rave reviews are enough to top Wicked Twister. Once again, the competition is tied! :Cedar Point: 17 :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 17 Oldies Viper vs. Disaster Transport Disaster Transport is a unique indoor bobsled experience, with an awesome queue line as well. Viper lets the stats do the talking: It has seven inversions, the tallest vertical loop, and was the tallest looping coaster in the world when it opened. Viper is the winner here. :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 18 :Cedar Point: 17 Random Match-up Scream! vs. Gemini There was simply nothing else for these coasters to be compared to; so they are pitted against each other! Scream is commonly put down for being built on a parking lot. However, this ride would be the star attraction at nearly any mid-sized theme park. Gemini, built as the co-tallest roller coaster in the world, is a great racing coaster experience. If I had to pick one ride, (which is what I am doing!) I would pick Scream. It is a really fun ride with a great order of inversions. :Six Flags Magic Mountain: 19 :Cedar Point: 17 The Victor That's it! Six Flags Magic Mountain has won! Overall, both parks are awesome, and are quite possibly the best in the world. You should definitely visit either one of them, or both, if you can! If you disagree with me, feel free to comment below with your own opinion. Just remember, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so be nice, and don't annoy others! Want More? This is only the beginning of a series of competitions I hope to create. If you know two more parks worth comparing, please add it to this page. Category:Blog posts Category:Coaster Wars